Drian Francisco won what is perhaps the biggest fight of his career by knocking out Duangpetch Kokietgym of Thailand. It wasn?t as easy as many expected to be because Kokietgym proved to be a very tough nut to crack for Francisco.
After easily disposing of Roberto Vasquez and Ricardo Nunez in his last two fights, everyone expected Francisco to steamroll his Thai foe. Kokietgym did have 52 wins in his record but it lacks anyone of worth.
Francisco went to Thailand prepared but little did he know that it was going to be the fight of his life. Francisco and his entourage travelled for hours and hours to reach the Bueng Kan School in Nong Khai, Thailand. It was a long journey but the prize, a shiny interim belt from the WBA, was well worth the
effort.
Kokietgym was a wily veteran who used everything he can to get an advantage. He unleashed a barrage of crippling low blows but luckily for Francisco, Steve Smoger, one of the best referees in the business, didn?t let it go unpunished. Smoger warned Kokietgym and even deducted a point for the low blows. He also allowed Francisco up to five minutes to rest but the Filipino barely took a single minute of it.
Francisco struggled in the middle rounds but after he knocked down his opponent in the sixth round, he started to settle in and was landing more and more shots. The end came in the tenth round. A straight followed by an uppercut from Francisco knocked the Thai out.
?Drian really punches hard, I know that because I have sparred with him. I am bigger and we had heavier gloves on but I can feel his power,? Al Sabaupan, Francisco?s Touch Gloves Gym stable-mate, said. ?That?s why even if I haven?t seen the fight, I can say for sure that his opponent was really beaten up. You can?t last 10 rounds with Drian without being beaten up,? he added.
Catch Francisco?s big win on SOLARtv and Solar Sports this Sunday, December 5 at 1 pm with a replay at Solar Sports at 7 pm on the same day.
Comments
Share your thoughts on the above article by Carlo Pamintuan.